Reports of the 25-year-old medical graduate’s disappearance gained prominence last week after the man’s mother told the media she had not heard from her son for almost two weeks.
Portugal’s State Secretary for Communities said Volodymyr Lavriv, who lives and studies in Lisbon and has dual Portuguese-Ukrainian nationality, had been admitted to a psychiatric unit in Essex since 4 October.
His desperate mother last week launched a wide-reaching appeal for help in finding her son.
Volodymyr Lavriv, a medical doctorate student at Lisbon University had last spoken to his mother on 3 October.
Speaking to news site Observador, Galyna Lavriv said she had spoken to her son while he was at Lisbon airport on Saturday 1 October, and he told her he was going to London, but said that it had nothing to do with speciality exams he was about to sit for his profession.
But, he stressed he “had to go to London”, as he had “things to take care of” without disclosing the reason.
He had apparently missed a morning flight that day, and was preparing to catch a later evening flight.
“I don’t understand why he went to London”, Ms. Lavriv said, adding she had asked her son to send her the address of where he would be staying in the British capital.
They spoke again on Sunday, 2 October, and then on the Monday, when Volodymyr reportedly gave his mother the impression he would be returning to Portugal before long.
For 17 days, since 3 October, Ms. Lavriv had neither word from nor sign of her son.
Observador reports Volodymyr travelled to London in pursuit of a girl he had fallen in love with.
The girl in question, from Estonia, was reportedly waiting for him in the British capital, but they failed to meet up after Volodymyr missed his first flight.
He is thought to have intended returning to Portugal on 4
October.
The young medical student was found in the psychiatric unit by his stepfather, who had travelled to London in a bid to locate him.
Volodymyr’s stepfather told Observador that, from what he gleaned from police, Volodymyr was admitted to the unit after becoming involved in a “violent fight” at Luton airport as he was preparing to fly back to Lisbon, and was arrested.
He was allegedly sent to the Essex mental health unit without documents or the opportunity to make a phone call.